Change For The Better

Time And Time Again

The Marines had decided to send my brother overseas once again to serve his second tour. We were all trying our best to stay optimistic. He had in fact survived the first tour in one piece, unfortunately that would not be the case this time. Yes, Josh arrived home in one piece but both his body and mind were in a different state than when he first departed. To this day I still do not know the whole story behind what happened to my brother when he was put in isolation in Afghanistan and I think if my brother has his way I never will. He had destroyed his back in more ways then one. Sometimes barely being able to stand. Since they did not have the proper equipment to analyze the severity of his conditions, they continued to allow him to be sent into battle. They didn’t care that he wasn’t one hundred percent they looked at him as a piece of property that was needed. He was also put into lockdown due to the fact that one night after blacking out he had gotten into a gruesome fight with one of his fellow Marines. With his pain level being intolerable his anger issue’s seemed to increase ten fold. Josh had done a complete one-eighty from the last time I had seen him when he had finished boot camp. He had now beefed up and put on a lot of muscle, which was great. He looked relieved to finally be done with his four year commitment in the Marines. Josh said that if he had the chance to go back in time and not enlist in the first place, he would have in a heartbeat. Even though he did say that he felt proud of the time he had spent in the Marines. He had gained a lot of experiences and life memories. Some memories that he wished that could be flushed from his brain forever. I can’t even find words to describe how enthralled I was to finally have my Joshua back home with me, but I was in for a surprise to find out that he had undergone some changes. With her son back home my Mom now had two children to worry over and loved every minute of it. She finally had that light back in her eyes. Our fights simmered down to only little squabbles here and there and I finally felt like we were a family again. She loved doing anything and everything for Josh. Doing his laundry, making a grilled cheese, you name it. She treated him like he was a baby to say the least. Worrying every moment that if he moved one muscle the wrong way he would throw his back out for good.